The present invention is directed to a spelling machine by which young children may begin to learn to spell certain simple words, especially the names of familiar objects, such as animals and the like. Machines for this purpose have been developed in various forms substantially from the beginning of the present century or even earlier. Some of the devices have cards or blocks having individual letters and a projection thereon for insertion into a machine, and when a correctly-spelled name of an article is arranged by such blocks in the machine, a picture of that article, such as a dog, will appear in an opening in a front wall of the machine. Such a device is shown in prior U.S. Pat. No. 792,801 to Steele, dated June 20, 1905. A related version by the same patentee is found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,619,160, dated Mar. 1, 1927, but instead of cards, knobs fixed to wheels upon which letters are formed may be rotated to dispose certain letters in the front of openings in the front panel of the machine, whereby if the name of the article is spelled correctly, the picture of the article will appear through said opening in the front wall.
Another version of a spelling machine is found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,213,411 to Rippon, dated Sept. 3, 1940, and in which a plurality of rows of holes each having a letter adjacent the same is arranged for plugs to be inserted in a selected hole opposite a chosen letter and a control row of holes is provided with slots, whereby if, after placing the plugs in desired holes and the plug opposite the slot is moved, the correctly spelled name, as well as a picture of the object, will appear in openings provided in a wall of the machine.
A very common form of prior device is one which employs cards upon which pictures of items or articles, such as animals are shown, and said cards have a series of prongs thereon, whereby when the card is inserted in the machine, it moves movable members upon which letters are printed and the full insertion of the card will result in the movable members being moved to expose letters thereon spelling the correct name of the item in a slot or row of holes in which the desired letters may be seen. Examples of this type of spelling machine are found in the prior U.S. Patents listed below:
______________________________________ 1,902,971 Rippon March 28, 1933 2,586,564 Rinde Feb. 19, 1952 3,593,431 Candido et al July 30, 1971 ______________________________________
One additional type of machine similar to the ones immediately discussed above which employs cards to be inserted in the machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,023 to Myers, dated May 9, 1967, and in which the cards are provided with rivets which are bridging members in electric circuits and finger-engageable knobs on slides are movable in slots to expose desired letters spelling the name of the article shown on the card and if correctly spelled, a signal or some other type of indicating means is activated.
Especially for purposes of employing cards in a spelling machine to operate the same to spell the name of articles appearing on the cards and obviate certain difficulties arising from the previously developed spelling machine, such as prongs extending from one edge of the same, or applying electrical bridging members thereto, such as rivets, as well as otherwise facilitating the operation of the machine, the present invention has been developed having the distinguishing characteristics described below, which are patentable over the prior devices, as follows: